Monday night’s Ballon d’Or event in Paris saw Lionel Messi, obviously, win his eighth Ballon d’Or, setting off everyone’s favourite football debate starter.
Greedy.
Only one player from Liverpool, Mohamed Salah, was one of the other 29 nominees for the men’s award in 2023.
The 31-year-old placed 11th in the poll by a global group of journalists assembled by France Football. He has qualified for the shortlist each year since moving to Anfield back in 2017.
However, Liverpool was underrepresented in the list of the top male players of the year, following a disappointing campaign both domestically and in Europe the previous season.
Salah’s lone nomination represented a significant departure from 2022, when six players from Jurgen Klopp’s team were included, including the recently departed Sadio Mane of Liverpool, who finished second in the poll following his AFCON victory.
Under Klopp, Liverpool players have generally been familiar with the Ballon d’Or shortlist. However, which players from the current team have received nominations and where have they placed highest in the voting?
The current highest ranking ballon d’or among Liverpool players
Virgil van Dijk – 2nd (2019)
After winning the Champions League, the captain of Liverpool is best known for coming in second place in the poll behind Messi for the 2019 honour.
Although the centre back won the UEFA Men’s Player of the Year award that year, the then-Barça star won the Ballon d’Or award. Since 2006, when Fabio Cannavaro took home the trophy, he is still the only defender to rank in the top three.
Mohamed Salah – 5th (2019, 2022)
The all-time leading scorer in the Premier League and Europe for Liverpool has twice finished in the top five and should feel fortunate not to have finished any higher.
He would have been the clear winner if the year 2022 had gone differently, with Egypt vying for AFCON gold and Liverpool attempting to complete a historic treble.
Alisson Becker – 7th (2019) *1st in Yashin Trophy
Following the Reds’ triumph in Europe, Alisson finished seventh overall in 2019 and won the first Yashin Trophy for goalkeepers. But he was oddly left off of the 2023 shortlist for the same prize.
Luis Diaz – 17th (2022)
Following the cup double, Liverpool’s Colombian winger was one of the six Reds selected for 2022.
After joining Anfield in the middle of the season from Porto, Diaz had a great debut and even won Man of the Match against Chelsea in the FA Cup final.
Trent Alexander-Arnold – 19th (2019)
Alexander-Arnold was nominated twice, with his best finish being in 2019 as he led Liverpool to Champions League triumph.
That year, no full back finished higher in the rankings.
Darwin Nuñez – 25th (2022)
Nuñez, who set a club record when he moved from Benfica to Liverpool last year, was nominated for the first time along with five other players, finishing joint-25th.
Liverpool’s new number nine should expect greater recognition in the years to come after settling in at Anfield.
WHICH LIVERPOOL PLAYERS HAVE WON THE BALLON D’OR?
Michael Owen was the only player in history to win the Ballon d’Or while still representing Liverpool in 2001.
The former striker, who was only 22 years old at the time, had a fantastic year, scoring 31 goals and leading Gerard Houllier’s team to a historic triple.
Among his year-long highlights were his hat-trick in England’s 5-1 victory over Germany and his historic late brace against Arsenal in the FA Cup final.
After Stanley Matthews (1956), Bobby Charlton (1966), and Keegan (1978, 1979), Owen became the fourth Englishman to win the award, narrowly defeating Real Madrid striker Raul to the title.
Since then, no British athlete has won the prize.
Over the years, the accomplishments of Liverpool icons Kenny Dalglish, Steven Gerrard, Fernando Torres, Van Dijk, and Mane (who had left Anfield by the time of the ceremony in 2022) have earned them votes into the Ballon d’Or top three.